Decorative Effect for Glass Bodies

ABSTRACT

Glass bodies are decoratively affected by having coatings of dichroic materials applied to an uneven surface. The dichroic materials transmit or reflect different colors of light in patterns that are determined by the unevenness of the coated surface and an angle of view of an observer. Both the color patterns and the colors forming the patterns change with different viewing angles of the coated surface.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Decorative glass blocks, glass tiles, and glass panels.

BACKGROUND

Glass has been used decoratively for millennia, and for decorativepurposes, glass bodies have been shaped, surface patterned, colored, andsurface coated in a multitude of ways. This nevertheless leavesunfulfilled an insatiable need for interesting new decorative effects.

SUMMARY

The inventive decorative effect involves varying color patternsresulting from dichroic materials coated on an uneven surface of a glassbody. The dichroic materials transmit or reflect different colors oflight, and the unevenness of the coated surface imposes patterns on thecolors of light that are transmitted or reflected. These colors andpatterns of colors also change with different viewing angles of anobserver, which adds considerably to their decorative interest.

Dichroic coatings, which are known, have been applied to plane surfacesfor optical and technical reasons. Applying dichroic coatings to unevenglass surfaces has the unexpected effect of making color patterns varywith viewing angles. Colors in the patterns can change, and forms ofcolor patterns can also change with different viewing angles so that thedecorative effect is made lively and surprising.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a structural glass block having adichroic coating on an undulating internal surface.

FIG. 2 is an abstract representation of variable color patterns causedby the coating on the undulating surface of the block of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a glass tile having a patterned surface.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the tile of FIG. 3 showing adichroic coating on the patterned surface, and a protective coating overthe dichroic coating.

FIG. 5 is a partially schematic representation of a frame that includesglass tiles or blocks for a door or wall panel providing variable colorpatterns according to the invention.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are photographs showing, at different viewing angles, astack of glass blocks that are made decorative according to theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The variable color patterns produced by the invention involve both anuneven surface of a glass body and a dichroic coating on the unevensurface. Uneven surfaces on glass bodies are known, and dichroiccoatings on smooth plane surfaces are known, but neither of these bythemselves produce color patterns of varying colors that change with anobserver's angle of view. Dichroic coatings conforming to an unevenglass surface do produce such variable color patterns, which depend notonly on the unevenness of a glass body surface, but also on theunevenness of a dichroic coating deposited on the glass body surface.

Dichroic materials and the formation of these materials into thinoptical coatings are well understood. These are described for example inThin Film Optical Filters, Third Edition by Angus Macleod. Dichroicmaterials have the property of transmitting or reflecting light ofselected wave lengths or colors, and correspondingly not transmitting ornot reflecting light of other wave lengths or colors. Many materials areknown to have such dichroic properties, and many ways of coating thesematerials on a glass surface are also known. These include several formsof vacuum deposition and sputtering, for example.

Optical thin film coatings of dichroic materials are often used asfilters, and these can be formed as long pass, short pass, band pass,interference, and mixtures of these. At least two dichroic materiallayers are required to achieve the decorative effects made possible bythe invention, but many more than two layers can also be used. Four ormore different dichroic layers are preferred to ensure that observablecolor patterns are interesting and variable. The dichroic materials usedfor coated layers also preferably differ from each other in the wavelengths of light they transmit or reflect.

Uneven surfaces of glass bodies contribute to the interesting colorpatterns achievable with the invention. The glass body surfaces can beuneven in a multitude of ways. One way is to have an uneven topographywith hills and valleys, for example. The unevenness can be predeterminedby a mold or can even be random resulting from manufacturingirregularities. The insides of structural glass blocks, for example, arereadily molded with an undulating surface that works well with dichroicmaterials.

Uneven surfaces can also be patterned with variations that range from amicro to a macro scale. A pattern can repeat several times over a glasssurface or a single pattern can extend its variation over a wholesubstrate, for example. Patterned unevenness of a glass surface can betextured to have visible irregularities. A glass surface can also beroughened by etching or sand blasting, and roughening can be applied inpatterns that leave some of the surface specularly reflective.

An uneven surface can also affect thickness of coatings of dichroicmaterials. The coating process may not be exactly uniform in the firstplace, and unevenness of the surface being coated can additionallyattribute varying thickness to the coated materials. These variationscan add unpredictable interest to the observable color patterns. Anuneven surface can also be formed by etching, sand blasting, or othertechnique that modifies the reflectance and transmission of a glasssurface that is otherwise nearly plane. Both front and back surfaces ofa glass body can be made uneven, and the unevenness can be different foropposite surfaces so that each surface can contribute to the interestingeffects achieved.

Combinations of uneven glass surfaces and dichroic coatings can becomplex enough so that the ways that color patterns will form and varywith different viewing angles can be quite unpredictable. This can addconsiderably to the decorative interest of a product, and interestingvariation in the end result can even be left to random variations inmanufacturing processes.

The color of the glass used for a glass body can also play a role in thedecorative effect produced. Dichroic coatings can be designed with glasscolor in mind to take advantage of different color pattern effectsderivable from the dichroic coatings, the unevenness of surfaces, andthe color of the glass substrate.

Structural glass blocks are generally transmissive, and this isconsidered in designing dichroic coatings for preferably internalsurfaces of glass blocks. One or both of these surfaces can be coatedwith dichroic materials, but generally coating one surface issufficient. The coating within the interior of a glass block ispreferred as naturally protected by the structure of the block itself.

Glass tiles, which are often laid on a wall or counter, produce visiblecolored patterns by reflectance from the dichroic coating that ispreferably on a back surface of the tile. The dichroic coatings on theback side of a tile are also preferably covered with a protectivecoating, which is preferably opaque, so that the surface on which thetiles are mounted is not visible. The protective opaque coating can havemany different colors, and these can play a role in the color patternobservable from the reflected light.

The cross-sectional view of glass block 10 of FIG. 1 has a multi-layereddichroic coating 15 deposited or coated on an internal surface 11. Lighttransmitted through block 10 is affected by the unevenness of surface 11and the materials used in dichroic layers 15 for an observer on eitherside of block 10. Both interior surfaces 11 and 12 can be coated withdichroic layers, but an interesting and variable result can be achievedwith a single interior coating. External surfaces of glass block 10 canalso be coated with dichroic materials, but this subjects the coatingsto damage.

The abstract representation of a variable color pattern for block 10 asviewed in FIG. 2 is endlessly variable by changing an angle of view.Block 10 appears different when viewed from different sides or whenviewed from different angles. These changes vary not only the colorsthat are made visible, but the patterns of the those colors. It istherefore possible to make blocks 10 that are endlessly variable amongthemselves by having different dichroic coatings and different surfaceunevenness.

The glass tile 20 of FIG. 3 has a repeating pattern 25 making a rearsurface of tile 20 uneven. This surface is preferably coated withdichroic layers 15, which in turn are covered with a protective andpreferably opaque layer 16, as shown in FIG. 4. Dichroic materials 15interact with the uneven pattern 25 to change colors in different waysat different viewing angles. Tile pattern 25 can repeat as illustratedin FIG. 3, or can extend in a single variation across the whole surfaceof tile 20. Both the patterns that can be used and the dichroicmaterials that can be applied are practically endless. An addedvariation can be use of different colors of glass for the substrate oftile 20.

Glass tiles 20 can also be made transmissive by omitting opaque layer16. Transmissive glass tiles 20 can then be arranged in a see-throughmanner such as a door panel transmitting light in either direction.Glass tiles can also have opaque rear coatings 16, as shown in FIG. 4,and then be arranged back-to-back to present one variable color patternon one side of a panel and another variable color pattern on the otherside of the panel.

Panel 40 of FIG. 5 schematically shows three tiles or blocks 30 arrangedwithin frame 35 for use in a door or on a wall. Blocks or tiles 30 canbe either transmissive or reflective, depending on whether the panel isarranged in a see-through position or is displayed against an opaquebackdrop. Glass tiles can also be arranged back-to-back in panel 40 sothat the tiles produce color patterns reflectively. Such patterns canvary on different sides of a panel, and at least one opaque coating canprevent transmission of light through both tiles.

A stack of glass blocks similar to block 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2 are viewedat different camera angles in FIGS. 6 and 7. These different views showhow color patterns from the same blocks change with a small change in aviewing angle.

1. A decorative effect applied to a glass surface, the decorative effectcomprising: the glass surface being uneven by having at least one of theforms consisting of: a) a predetermined non-planar topography; and b) atextured pattern; the surface being coated with at least two materialshaving dichroic effects; and the dichroic materials effecting a colorpattern of light that varies with different angles of view of the coatedsurface by an observer.
 2. The decorative effect of claim 1 wherein theglass surface is an inside surface of a glass block.
 3. The decorativeeffect of claim 1 wherein the glass surface is a back surface of a glasstile.
 4. The decorative effect of claim 3 including an opaque protectivecoating applied over the dichroic materials.
 5. The decorative effect ofclaim 1 wherein the glass surface is part of a wall or door panel. 6.The decorative effect of claim 1 wherein the glass surface has anundulated topography.
 7. The decorative effect of claim 1 wherein thedichroic materials are transmissive.
 8. The decorative effect of claim 1wherein the dichroic materials are reflective.
 9. A method of imposing acolor pattern on observable light, the method comprising: coatingdichroic materials on an uneven surface of a glass body to conform thedichroic materials into the uneven surface; using the unevenness of thecoated dichroic materials to impose a color pattern on the observablelight; and the color pattern being variable with changes in an angle bywhich an observer views the coated surface.
 10. The method of claims 9wherein the coated surface is an inside surface of a glass block. 11.The method of claim 9 wherein the coated surface is a back surface of aglass tile.
 12. The method of claim 11 including an opaque protectivecoating applied over the dichroic materials.
 13. The method of claim 9wherein the coated surface undulates in a predetermined topography. 14.The method of claim 9 wherein the coated dichroic materials have atextured pattern.
 15. The method of claim 9 wherein the coated glasssurface forms part of a wall or door panel.
 16. The method of claim 9wherein the dichroic materials are transmissive.
 17. The method of claim9 wherein the dichroic materials are reflective.
 18. A decorative glassbody comprising: the glass body having a front surface facing toward anobserver and a rear surface opposite the front surface; the rear surfacebeing coated with at least two materials having dichroic effects; therear surface unevenly departing from a plane by having at least one ofthe forms consisting of: a) a pre-determined topography; and b) atextured pattern; the dichroic materials being conformed with theunevenness of the rear surface so as to effectively impose a colorpattern on light seen by the observer; and the color pattern varyingwith different angles of view of the observer relative to the frontsurface.
 19. The decorative glass body of claim 18 wherein the rearsurface is an inside surface of a glass block.
 20. The decorative glassbody of claim 19 wherein the rear surface has an undulated topography.21. The decorative glass body of claim 18 wherein the rear surface is aback surface of a glass tile.
 22. The decorative glass body of claim 21including an opaque protective coating covering the dichroic materials.23. The decorative glass body of claim 18 wherein the dichroic materialsare transmissive.
 24. The decorative glass body of claim 18 wherein thedichroic materials are reflective.
 25. The decorative glass body ofclaim 18 wherein the glass body is a panel.
 26. The decorative glassbody of claim 18 wherein the glass body is assembled into a wall ordoor.